


The Truth Beneath Your Lies

by Mrs_spooky90



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, Drama, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Falling In Love, First Time, High School, Lies, Love Confessions, M/M, Missing Persons, Mystery, Pretty Little Liars Meets Shameless, Secrets, Slow Burn, Suspicions, Thriller, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-05
Packaged: 2019-10-02 05:07:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17258102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mrs_spooky90/pseuds/Mrs_spooky90
Summary: Ian Gallagher and his friends are being stalked and harassed by someone unknown to them. Will they be able to keep their lies and secrets safely hidden, or is it already too late?





	1. Guilty Gallagher

**Author's Note:**

> Trying this writing thing out. Feel free to leave me feedback as I'm unsure if anyone is interested in a mystery Gallavich fic. :)

_"You may tell the greatest lies and wear a brilliant disguise, but you can't escape the eyes of the one who sees right through you."_ \- Tom Robbins

 

It was a dark and stormy spring night, the thunder and lightning crashing down upon Chicago without any sign of easing up. Ian merely chuckled under his breath at the apparent cliche; his life starting to feel like one giant, never-ending cliche lately. The flash of the lightning lit up Ian Gallagher's room, making Ian appear like an axe murderer hunting down his prey as he stood motionless with bloodshot eyes in front of his oval shaped mirror. He hated the person who stared back at him in the reflection, wishing he could erase himself from existence and be replaced with a new, fully-functional version of himself. However, his self-loathing was soon interrupted, yet again, by the sound of his phone buzzing on his nightstand.

 **Unknown Number** (11:55PM): I would be careful sharing what you know, if I were you.

Ian reread the text over and over, contemplating an answer to send back to the ominous messenger who had been contacting him for the last hour. He had just endured a very stressful day, with studying for finals and a recent breakup that still had him feeling more emotional than normal, and wasn't entirely in the mood for prank text messages. Staring at the message for another long moment, he finally caved and began aggressively typing.

 **Ian** (11:59PM): Fuck off. I already told you that you have the wrong number.

With a long, exasperated sigh, Ian tossed his phone down onto the nightstand and laid down on his bed, turning on his side. He pulled the comforter over his tired body and reached over to the nightstand, quickly tugging on the string to the lamp and allowing his muscles to relax. Feeling himself beginning to fall into a light slumber, the sound of his cellphone suddenly awoke him. His emerald green, bloodshot eyes flew open, letting out a groan as he grabbed his cellphone to see what kind of nonsensical message he would be receiving now.

As he read the message, he felt a bit of an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. Ian swallowed hard and stared at the message, feeling numb as he did so.

 **Unknown Number** (12:03AM): Just know that you and your friends may not have been the only ones there "that night" who saw what you did. Again, I'd be careful with what you share. Meow.

Ian immediately sat up in bed and peeked through his curtain to make sure he wasn't being watched. The sight of nothing but a lone street light made him feel even more uneasy, the ominous sight sending a quick chill down his spine.

 **Ian** (12:05AM): Meow? What do you want?

 **Unknown Number** (12:06AM): Ever hear of Cat and Mouse? I love games. Do you?

Ian furrowed his brow, receiving another message before he could even respond.

 **Unknown Number** (12:06AM): Sleep tight, Guilty Gallagher. We'll be in touch - you can count on that. xoxo -- Cat

Ian stared at the message, trying to quickly come up with a witty response, though too tired to play along with the texter any further. For now, he decided he would allow sleep to take him before his thoughts and deeply rooted guilt were able to consume him.

* * *

"Looking hot, Gallagher. I guess black is the new orange in this case."

Ian slammed his locker shut and glanced up to see his best friend, Mandy Milkovich, standing beside him, smirking with her usual charming smile. Noticing the blank look on her best friend's face, her smile immediately flatlined.

"It was a joke, Ian. I always have bags under my eyes."

"It's not that," Ian sighed, glancing around the hallway suspiciously as he took in the students flowing through the halls like the rapids in a river. "I got some really weird texts last night."

Mandy instantly raised an eyebrow, "did Marky cave in and apologize for being a dink yet?"

"No," Ian tsked, glancing around once more before moving closer to Mandy, "it was from this douchebag trying to be funny with me or something."

Mandy furrowed her brow as she saw the worried look upon Ian's face, "so tell him to fuck off."

"I did," Ian snapped, clearing his throat and lowering his voice, "he said he wants to play games with me, saying he knows about... _that_ night last summer."

Mandy abruptly stopped, tensing her entire body before slowly bringing her gaze to Ian. "What do you mean by him knowing about... you know..."

Ian shrugged, "I'll show you the messages at lunch. It's a phone number from one of those stupid texting apps, so I can't even track who it is."

"I can ask Mickey to help?"

"No!" Ian immediately answered, noticing Mandy's confused look before clearing his throat, "I mean, I don't want to bother him or involve anyone else who doesn't need to be involved yet, you know?"

Mandy nodded, "you're right. I just don't get why anyone would want to bring up that night. We were definitely alone, and no one saw that we were there; we made sure of it."

"I know," Ian whispered.

"Look, just try to stay calm and we'll figure this out, okay? We always do."

Ian pursed his lips as the sound of the bell suddenly rang ferociously, "I'll see you at lunch."

Mandy half-smiled before heading to her class. Ian sighed, walking in the opposite direction and noticed a familiar dark-haired, blue-eyed boy across the hall that he had been secretly crushing on for the past year. Ian instantly brought his gaze to the floor, feeling his cheeks burn as they turned a shade of crimson. The problem wasn't that he had and on-again, off-again relationship with Mark to hold him back from pursuing this particular crush; the problem was that his secret crush was Mickey Milkovich — Mandy's brother, the badass bad boy of Southside High; it was taboo to crush on Mickey, especially being that Ian was a guy, and that Mickey wasn't entirely out yet, but Ian had his intuitive haunches that lead him to believe the brunet wasn't in to girls.

Ian quickly shot a glance at the dark-haired man, though to his surprise, Mickey had been staring right in Ian's direction. Unsure of what to make of it, Ian nodded at his crush with a goofy smile spread across his face, instantly stopping at a random student's locker to pretend it was his own. He reached in and grabbed a history book, his heart completely stopping as he noticed Mickey approaching him.

_Keep your cool, Ian. He probably wants to tell you something about Mandy._

Ian swallowed hard and spun around to face Mickey, holding the history book to his chest as he stared blankly at the dark-haired boy. Mickey leaned against the locker beside him and crossed his arms, keeping his gaze to Ian's, causing Ian to nearly faint from holding his breath. He needed to breathe before he would cause a scene and embarrass himself in front of the entire school.

"Um, h-hi Mickey. What's up?" Ian feebly asked.

Mickey raised an eyebrow before biting his lip to suppress a smile, "I could ask you the same, Ella Morgan."

Ian's eyes widened, "what about her?"

Mickey furrowed his brow to the redhead's cagey demeanor, nodding to the history book in Ian's arms, "doesn't that book belong to Ella? I mean, you are at her locker."

Ian's cheeks instantly flushed, matching a similar shade to his hair. "Oh, um, right. Ella usually wants me to grab it for her on our way to Mr. Hewitt's class since she has another class on the other end of the school."

"Didn't realize you guys were friends."

"We're more of acquaintances," Ian answered promptly, earning a look of suspicion from Mickey in response.

The brunet paused for a moment before shrugging, "I haven't seen her in any classes today. Looks like you'll have to put it back."

"Oh, right. I forgot that she wasn't here today," Ian awkwardly chuckled, "brain has been foggy lately."

Mickey smirked, "your brain is always foggy, Gallagher."

Facing the locker, Ian let out a small sigh, wishing the embarrassing run-in would just end already. After placing the book back into the locker, Ian spun around to face his crush. "Alright, well I'm gonna be late to class. I'll see you around at Mandy's or something."

"I hope so," Mickey said under his breath before leaving the locker and heading to his own class, leaving Ian unable to process the brunet's words. He felt his heart flutter as he watched Mickey walking toward his class, not being able to help but stare at his crush's perfectly shaped butt that his jeans hugged. Ian quickly snapped out of it and ran to class, hoping to avoid any other awkward conversations for the day.

* * *

"Mr. Gallagher?"

Ian immediately brought his gaze to his teacher, Mr. Hewitt, who had apparently been calling on him.

"Yes, Mr. Hewitt?"

"I asked if anyone knows what the definition of anarchy is. Since you're clearly not with us today," Mr. Hewitt teased, the class cackling along as Ian sunk lower into his seat, "can anyone tell me what the definition is?"

"It's basically an outbreak of mayhem when there's no authority or rules in place, right?" Mark asked, shooting a glance to Ian before moving his gaze back to Mr. Hewitt. 

"Right. It's a state of disorder. Mayhem. Lawlessness. All caused by the absence of authority."

"Like The Purge?" A student teased in the background.

Mr. Hewitt shook his head in amusement, "sort of. The Purge is government ordered, though. If it wasn't, and people decided to take matters into their own hands by breaking the law and acting out with violence "just because", then alas, you have anarchy."

Ian tuned out as he rested his head against his hand, staring mindlessly out the window. He watched cars passing by and the sunshine beating down on the freshly cut green grass. As it was spring time, the weather was getting warmer in preparation for summer, the students were getting antsy and Ian was ready for school to finally end for the year. This year had been tough, though junior year typically is with college preparation, essays and so forth. However, this year was even more tough. Early on in the year, his mother passed away leaving him and his five other siblings alone to Frank, their shitty alcoholic father. To make matters even worse, his older brother who he was closest to, Lip, went off to college. It was just an off year, Ian decided.

Coming back down to reality, Ian moved his gaze to a tree beside a house that was across the street from the school, instantly gasping at the sight. There were words painted in red on the tree. He covered his mouth as he saw "Guilty Gallagher" plastered across the tree in a large font. Ian immediately stood up and excused himself from class, earning looks of concern by his classmates and teacher.

Ian ran to the bathroom where he always went during Mr. Hewitt's class, entering his usuall bathroom stall. As he sat down to take a deep breath, his phone buzzed in his pocket. Quickly retrieving the device, his heart stopped when he saw it was from the same number as last night.

 **Unknown Number** (9:45AM): Having fun yet?

 **Ian** (9:46AM): Just tell me what you want from me to make this stop. 

**Unknown Number** (9:46AM): I'm just getting started, Mouse. For my next trick, you will tell Karen's parents what really happened that night or else I will. Your choice.

 **Ian** (9:47AM): You're fucking sick. 

**Unknown Number** (9:48AM): You've got until tonight. Tick tock, Guilty Gallagher. -- Cat 

Ian felt the sweat beading down his face, toggling to Mandy's name in his text message threads and writing, "we need to meet ASAP. Behind the bleachers. Skip next period."

As he shoved the phone back into his pocket, the bell rang, indicating it was time for his next class. Before he could head toward the bleachers, the intercom unexpectedly announced, "Could Ian Gallagher, Mandy Milkovich, Mark Lowe and Karen Jackson please report to the office immediately."

Ian's stomach instantly felt nauseous, anxious to know what, or who, was waiting for him in the office.


	2. Secrets Keep You Close

"Have you even talked to Karen since -" 

"No," Ian interrupted Mandy's whispering under his breath, "it wasnt our fault. We just need to remember that."

"Well, it's a little tough to remember when she's..." Mandy trailed off, staring at Karen wheeling herself into the office in her wheelchair.

"Handicapped?" Karen finished Mandy's sentence.

"Oh, no, we weren't talking about you. We were talking about -"

"It's cool," Karen cut Mandy off, "my mom says it's hopefully not a forever thing, but the doctors say I'm probs going to be paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of my life, so I'd assume it's pretty fuckin' permanent."

Mandy began to chew on the inside of her cheek, quickly shooting Ian a glance of embarrassment before leaning back into her chair. Ian's gaze met Karen's as she adjusted herself directly across from him. She smiled and ran her thin fingers through her curly blonde hair.

"You guys act like I have the fucking plague or something. You can say it; I'm handicapped."

Ian mustered a small smile, though quickly vanishing the moment the principal emerged from his office. Mandy and Ian immediately stood up without hesitation. 

"You wanted to see us, Mr. Hitchcock?" Ian asked.

"Have any of you seen Mr. Lowe?" The principal asked.

"Yeah. Mark was just in my history class," Ian answered promptly.

Mr. Hitchcock nodded, adjusting his sport coat before opening his office door and motioning the teenagers inside. "We'll just get started without him, then. Also, Karen, I'm glad to see you're finally back. We were really worried about you for a second there."

"I know, I gave _everyone_ a big scare. After five months in a coma, and four months recovering, here I finally am," Karen sighed, Mandy and Ian immediately moving their gaze to the floor as Karen couldn't help but crack a small, satisfied smile.

"Well, we're all very glad you're back," the principal smiled, "now, let's talk." 

The three students nodded and followed the principal inside of his office. As Ian sat down in the chair closest to the window, he narrowed his eyes as he caught a glimpse of the tree that, merely moments ago, had a message for him painted on it. He widened his eyes as he noticed the paint had been washed off and completely gone.

"Mr. Gallagher," the principal disrupted the redhead's thoughts, Ian immediately clearing his throat and turning to face Mr. Hitchcock. "It's very important that the four... well, three of you listen carefully."

Mandy shot Ian a glance before holding her gaze to the principal, anxiously awaiting what he was planning to say.

Mr. Hitchcock intertwined his fingers and leaned back into his chair as he stared at his anxious students. He suddenly grinned, a look of pure excitement spread across his face.

"I just wanted to call you in here today to congratulate you on scoring the highest in your junior class on the ACTs. Your scores were beyond admirable, to say the least, and we've never seen such scores on this test throughout the twenty years I've been here at Southside High. We wanted to treat you all to a special luncheon that we planned for this coming Friday during your regular lunch period, and we've also called your parents to attend as well."

Ian and Mandy let out a dark chuckle, earning a look of disapproval from the principal. Ian's sarcastic grin suddenly vanished as he held up his hands in surrender.

"That's awesome, Mr. Hitchcock. It's just that Mandy's dad and my dad couldn't give a damn about what we do, let alone somehow scoring super high on our ACTs. Are you sure you've got the right students?" Ian teased.

"Positive," the principal answered.

"Ian's right. This is nice and all, but I'm barely passing my classes and just returned from almost a whole year out of school. I highly doubt that I did this well on that test," Karen responded with skepticism in her voice. "I'm also fairly certain that Mark Lowe's, like, half retarded, so I also doubt he scored this high, too."

Ian and Mandy let out a snicker as Mr. Hitchcock shook his head in disapproval.

"Language, Miss Jackson," the principal scolded her before adjusting in his seat, "I'm sorry that you all feel that your capabilities aren't quite as high as you think, but trust when I say that this is certainly all of you who scored what you did. Be proud of yourselves."

The sound of Ian and Mandy's cellphones buzzing suddenly interrupted the principal, though neither of them reached for their phones to look at the message. Ian furrowed his brow, but shrugged it off the moment Mark stepped into the office.

"Sorry I'm late. I had to stay after with Mr. Hewitt to talk about a history test that I might have failed," Mark admitted sheepishly, Karen suddenly letting out a guffaw.

"See what I mean?" She scoffed.

"What?" Mark asked in confusion as he noticed the students holding back grins and laughter.

The principal narrowed his eyes at Karen before going over the results of the test and the luncheon once again. As Mr. Hitchcock droned on, Ian couldn't help but wonder how it was possible for the paint on the tree to be washed away so quickly. He began second-guessing himself, wondering if he truly saw it in the first place, but his thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of the bell ringing. 

"It was very nice to speak with all of you. I look forward to our luncheon on Friday," Mr. Hitchcock beamed, the students smiling in response as they grabbed their bags and headed toward the door. 

As Ian and Mandy nearly reached the hall, Karen cleared her throat, causing the two to turn around.

"Hey, Ian? Would you mind?" Karen asked, nodding at her heavy backpack on the floor beside her.

Ian pursed his lips and swallowed hard, giving Mandy a look of concern before whispering, "I'll catch up with you later."

Mandy nodded, slightly narrowing her eyes at Karen before sighing and disappearing into the crowd of students. Karen waited until everyone cleared out from the principal's office before finally starting to wheel toward the hallway. She stopped at the doorway and stared up at Ian, raising a perfectly sculpted eyebrow as she did so.

"You know I know, right?" She whispered, glancing over her shoulder and around the room to make sure no one was listening. 

Ian's heart dropped. He instantly began to sweat before mustering a feeble, "I.. I dont know what you're talking about."

Karen clicked her tongue, "oh, Ian. I'm not fucking stupid. I saw you guys while I was laying in a puddle of my own blood in the middle of the goddamned street."

Ian's eyes widened larger than saucers before leaning in closer to her, "can we not talk about this here?"

"Why? Don't want people to know who you really are?"

Ian moved in even closer, lowering himself to meet her gaze head on, staring into her fierce eyes for a long moment. "You don't know a single fucking _thing_ about me, or about my friends, or about who I am; got it?"

Karen snickered under her breath, "I just wanted you to know that I know. And make no mistake, Gallagher, that the thought of me knowing is more terrifying than any scary monsters living inside that fucked up head of yours."

"If you were going to rat on us, you would have already done it," Ian gritted through his teeth.

"Are you sure about that?"

Ian silently glared at Karen as she smiled back at him with malice in her eyes.

"You're the one fucking with me, aren't you? Sending me those sketchy texts, trying to scare me."

Karen raised an eyebrow, "Ian, don't be so dramatic. Do I look like I'm eleven years old?" She scoffed, "If I want you to squirm, and believe me I do, I will be forward about it. I'm not a pussy who hides behind a phone."

"Then who the fuck's sending me those weird messages if it's not you?"

Karen half-smiled, "ever take into consideration that maybe you deserve to be fucked with?"

Ian rolled his eyes and placed the backpack in Karen's lap, "I had a feeling you didn't actually need help."

Karen shrugged her shoulders and raised up her hands, "oops." 

The students were suddenly interrupted by the office secretary walking over toward them. Karen quickly put on a faux smile and nodded to Ian. "Nice catching up with you, Ian. Let's do it again soon."

Ian pursed his lips and walked past Karen, feeling his heart racing out of his chest. He wondered, if it wasn't Karen who was messing with him, then who else could it be? With that, he sighed and searched the halls for his best friend. Once he spotted the brunette standing at her locker, he noticed she was staring intently at her cellphone.

"You'll never believe the conversation Karen and I just -"

"Look at your phone," Mandy interrupted, holding her gaze to the phone screen.

Ian furrowed his brow, suddenly remembering that they recieved a message while in the principal's office. He grabbed the device out of his pocket to see the ominous notification of a new text message from the unknown number. He swallowed hard before finally clicking on the message.

**Unknown Number** (10:15AM): Your ACT results just came in, but are they actually yours? It would be a shame that one of you may have to miss playing in the baseball championship this weekend if Principal Hitchcock found out you were cheating. It would also put a damper on a particular student's Kendall College plans, wouldn't it? Tsk tsk. -- Cat

"Ian...Who is this? And how do they know I want to go to Kendall?" Mandy asked, finally breaking her gaze from her phone to look at Ian.

"I don't know. This is what I wanted to talk to you about. Like I said this morning, I've been getting weird messages from this "Cat" person, and I don't know who the fuck they are or what they want."

"Is it Cat Driscoll? I swear to Christ, I will knock that fucking bitch right the fuck out," Mandy snapped, turning around to look for Cat Driscoll in the hallway.

No, Mands," Ian said, putting his hands on her shoulders and spinning her around. "It's Cat, as in the animal. Like Cat and Mouse...The game."

Mandy furrowed her brow and stared up at Ian. "So fucking block them. I'm not letting this stupid Cat motherfucker ruin my chances of getting into Kendall, even if the school somehow fucked up my test results and maybe switched them with another student's. And Mark shouldn't have to worry about missing his big shot at that game for the same reason."

Ian stared blankly at Mandy, guilt instantly spreading across his face.

"What?" Mandy asked, staring back at Ian until realization suddenly struck. "You've gotta be fucking shitting me. He cheated on the test?"

Ian moved his gaze to the floor and nodded, "I told him I wouldn't tell anyone. I _didn't_ tell anyone. Somehow this Cat person found out."

"What else did they say to you?" Mandy asked with concern in her voice.

"They know stuff."

"What kind of stuff?" Mandy muttered, feeling a wave of guilt come over her as she attempted to shrug it off.

"I told you this morning. They know the Karen thing from over the summer. Cat keeps calling me "Guilty Gallagher" and wants me to tell Karen's mom what really happened that night tonight."

"Hell fucking no! Did you agree to it?"

"No. I stopped answering," Ian sighed, looking around suspiciously before moving his gaze back to Mandy. "I've honestly never felt so fucking guilty. And Karen knows we were there. She thinks we were the ones who -"

"But we weren't," Mandy snapped, "so, stop letting this Cat motherfucker bully you into doing something you're going to regret. It's probably just a hoax, Ian."

The redhead stared into his bestfriend's shocking blue eyes before finally giving in and nodding.

"I really hope you're right, Mands."

"I'm sure I am," Mandy mustered a soft smile, suddenly replacing the smile with an angry expression before shoving Ian into the locker. "You definitely didn't tell me you were talking to Mark again, you dick!"

"Um ow" Ian huffed, rubbing his shoulder. Mandy glared at him before he sighed and let out an, "I know, I know."

"So, are you, like, back together now?"

"No. He still hasn't apologized. We're just friends," Ian admitted, furrowing his brow as he noticed Mandy's gaze looking past him and widening her eyes at the sight.

The redhead spun around and sighed as he saw Mark pacing toward him like a freight train, "friends that apparently want to punch each other in the face."

"What the fuck, Gallagher! I trusted you!" Mark scowled, getting in Ian's face.

"What are you talking about?" Ian played dumb.

"I just got this anonymous text about..." Mark trailed off, moving his glare to Mandy.

"She knows. She got the text, too."

"Who else did you tell?" Mark spat.

"No one, I swear! This anonymous person is fucking with us... Mark, they know about Karen."

Mark instantly froze in place, his face softening a bit before staring blankly at the redhead. He un-balled his fists and bit down on the inside of his cheek, processing the information. Once he finally had a decent grasp, he nodded.

"Find out who the fuck it is," he muttered through gritted teeth, taking a step closer to Ian before shoving him into the locker, "find out and tell me right away."

"Everything alright over here, big guy?"

Ian felt his heart flutter when he heard that familiar voice, noticing Mark tense back up when he saw Mickey standing beside him.

"Fuck off, Milkovich."

"Could tell you to do the same. Better not poke the bear though, before you start fuckin' 'roid raging in the middle of the hallway," Mickey snickered. 

Mark narrowed his eyes at the snarky Milkovich before moving his gaze back to Ian, "find out, Gallagher."

Ian nodded as Mark stared at him for another moment before turning around and heading to his class. Mickey let out a laugh, earning a punch in the arm from his sister.

"The fuck, Mandy!"

"'Roid raging? Really?" Mandy sarcastically asked.

"What? I just dont get what Firecrotch sees in him."

Ian's cheeks instantly flushed, holding back a smile as he noticed Mickey suavely winking at him while Mandy was looking at the students passing by in the hallway. The moment was soon interrupted by the sound of the bell ringing causing Ian to snap back to reality.

"Still wanna ditch?" Mandy asked.

"Sure," Ian agreed, the two looking at Mickey as he cleared his throat obnoxiously. 

"And what about me?" Mickey asked.

"You're not invited, dickhead," Mandy snapped, pushing past him to head toward the front door. "Ian, you coming?"

Ian stared at Mickey who stared back at him with secret longing in both of their eyes. He felt dizzy, as if he were getting off of the Tilt a' Whirl or something. Ian hated to admit it, but he had it bad for Mickey. Mickey is his bestfriend's brother, and you're not supposed to date your bestfriend's brother...Right?


End file.
